A Quick Request

I hope you don't mind, but I'm not going to offer an explanation. I just ask that if you've got a minute today, please send a good thought or quick prayer our way. We would sincerely appreciate it.

I hope you have a lovely Friday!

Sending good thoughts your way!

And the living is easy...

Mango Soup

2 mangos - peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 cup sugar
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups half-and-half

Combine all ingredients in blender. Serve icy cold.

Easy, fast and nutritious. What more could you ask for in a summertime snack?

Can you tell we like to take lunch on the fly here? Or sometimes breakfast? Or that we both love fruit...especially mangos?

I hope this is as big a hit in your house as it is in ours!

Moments

There are so many beautiful moments here on the farm. I thought I'd share a couple with you today.

I hope you have a lovely day!

A Riddle

Why'd the turtle cross the road?

I don't know why he did. It's a secret he kept.

When I asked, he snapped at me.

I didn't ask twice.

Instead, I came back up the driveway to keep company with some of the friendlier country critters.

See this guy? He's never snapped at me. We are amigos.

Seen and Heard

A movement caught my attention. My heart froze. I screamed. I jumped. Then, I did what anyone would do.

I ran.

A few seconds later he emerged from the greenhouse. A smirk on his face. A snake dangling from his fist.

I covered my eyes with one shaking hand as he "relocated" the interloper. When I heard his chuckle, I opened my eyes. He stared up at me, and shook his head.

"It was only--"

"I know what it was." I hated the tremble in my voice.

I watched as he attempted to contain his amusement.

"How did you get up there?" He nodded to my perch--atop the picnic table.

"That? Now that I'm a little fuzzy on..."

Yoga Practice

Slowly...lift back and exhale...picture a string going in the top of your head, through your body and down to your toes. Now, the string is getting tighter...tighter...tighter--

"What're you doing?"

Without breaking the concentration it took ten minutes to find, she answers, her voice quiet and controlled. Hopefully. "Yoga."

Crossing his arms, he stands and watches. From the corner of her eye she see his mustache twitch as he tries not to laugh. Remembering the imaginary string, she straightens her back. Almost.

Then, a positon change.

Slowly...move into the posture, feeling your muscles relax...slowly...concentrate...feel the--

"What's that one called?"

"Cat pose."

Inhale. Exhale.

With a fast glance at the television screen, he says, "Her arms--"

"I know." Through gritted teeth, "My shoulder, remember?"

"Right. But her legs--"

"My knee."

Inhale. Exhale.

Concentrate on not smacking husband, she silently adds.

He shifts his gaze back and forth between wife and instructor. He murmurs, "Doesn't look comfortable. But not so hard, really."

Now, jump to your feet and prepare for--

"Pretty easy, to tell the truth." His brings his legs together, stretches his arms out from his sides.

She tries to ignore him, concentrating instead on her breathing and form.

Slowly...slowly...feel your body lengthen. Feel the muscles--

"What the...?" He raises his arms above his head, and lifts one foot.

A grunt, followed by a thud, brings a small grin.

"Tree pose."

Just One?

I can never understand how people pick a "favorite" flower.

Me? I can't do it. I love 'em all!

These are the current "favorites" in our yard. What's growing in yours?

Instant Smiles

Photographs don't begin to do these lilies justice. They are gorgeous!

A Favor, Please

I hope you don't mind, but I'm not going to offer an explanation. I just ask that if you've got a minute today, please send a good thought or quick prayer our way. We would sincerely appreciate it.

I hope you have a lovely Wednesday!

Sending good thoughts your way!

Reading?

A few days ago I dashed into a bookstore to pick up a copy of an agricultural magazine that I thought my hubby might enjoy. I got lucky; the magazine rack had a bunch of copies so I picked one up and headed for the register to pay. Of course, on my way I passed the displays of new releases. Never one to pass a pile of books without browsing—and usually buying at least one—I perused the stacks. You know what? I didn’t buy anything—really an odd thing for me but I just couldn’t focus on making a choice. And, honestly, I have been too overwhelmed by everything that’s going on here to even make an impulse purchase. So, I paid for hubby’s magazine and left the bookstore.

Luckily, when I stopped for the mail I had a package. One of the authors I interviewed on From the Pages, Linda Hope Lee, sent me a copy of her latest novel, Finding Sara. It was so kind of her, and such a wonderfully timely surprise.

She took the guesswork out of deciding what to read, and I am so glad. Last night I read the book from cover to cover, and loved every moment of the experience. Linda writes so well, and describes Sara’s journey so vividly I fell right into the story. My heart connected with a woman so overwhelmed by her circumstances she feels compelled to get off on her own for a while to sort things out. I mean, who among us hasn’t felt that way at least once? Unfortunately Sara is mugged—but fortunately she is rescued by a handsome cowboy.

I loved Finding Sara. It is poignant and sweet, and was the perfect choice for my current state of mind. I can’t thank Linda enough for sending me her delightful book, and for rescuing me from my own uncharacteristic indecision. I know that eventually I’ll find joy in the bookstore again, and will be able to focus enough to pick my own reading material. For now, though, it was a blessing to have someone else make the decision for me. I’m just too busy with other decisions to deal with this one, I think!

So…what are you reading? And do you enjoy having others choose your books, or do you always choose for yourself?

Hope you have a lovely day!

Sharing a Secret

Don't you just love the bounty of summer? The sun-warmed garden produce?

Don't you just love the watermelons? We do!

This is one of our favorite summer drinks. Sometimes we use ice cream instead of yogurt.. I won't divulge exactly how many of these we've consumed this past week. Take my word for it, though. The blender's been very busy!

I hope you enjoy this treat, too. I had to share. I mean, what kind of friend would I be if I kept this a secret?

Watermelon Smoothies

3 cups cold watermelon
2cups fresh strawberries
8 ounces any variety yogurt
2 cups crushed ice
Sugar to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Enjoy!

Visiting

...with Linda Mooney today! I'm so excited!

Please come on over and say hi at Linda Mooney's Other Worlds of Romance. See you there!

Does It Get Any Better?

I love bouqets, especially those picked by a particularly handsome husband! For me, a vase of yard flowers beats a flower-shop arrangement every day of the week!

I hope you have a nice weekend.

Green Acres

You never really know what you'll find when you clean out a closet, do you?

I tackled the coat closet yesterday.

See what I found?

In my boots, of course.

Ah, yes...

There are so many joys to country living.

Strawberries, Anyone?

One of the good things about strawberries (and there are soooo many good things about them, dont' you think?) is they don't seem to care how often they are weeked. Our little strawberry bed is weedier than it's ever been but it's still producing bowls of beautiful red berries.

We eat the small ones as we pick them. But the biggies? Let's just say there's a lot of shortcake being eaten around here!

Paws-ing

Hi, it's me again. Sarita's busy reading something called a galley...or was it golly...hmm, maybe it was gulley...

Anyhow, she's reading something so I'm stopping in this morning to show you some stuff on the farm--from my point of view. Which is, I must admit, unsually a little bit different from everyone else's.

Doesn't this look like a big goose monster coming over the treetops? It's kind of scary, don't you think?

Know what I do when I'm scared? I bite Sarita on the foot so she'll pick me up and give me a cuddle. I don't care if her foot is in a muddy gardening sneaker...when I'm feeling threatened, I bite first and ask questions later.

There are lots of these little houses around the place. Every one of them has a family in it. I like to sit beneath these houses to listen to the singing. Very pretty, and once in a while I get to watch the baby birds practice flying!

I'm not at all sure what anyone would do with a cherry ...or was it cheery?... but the humans are jazzed about these. There are lots of trees just loaded with these things, and some of them are turning bright red. The cherries, not the trees.

Me? I'm just waiting to see what happens when there are hundreds of cheery cherries. I'm kind of hoping they taste like tuna fish.

I keep looking for the tuna fish tree but so far I haven't found it...

Right side up, upside down...these smell meowy good.

Brushing up against these lupines tickles my whiskers. You should try it sometime...just lean in close and let them tickle your whiskers. Come on, you know you want to!

Thanks for stopping by. If I'm lucky, the galley-thingy will keep Sarita busy for a while. There's lots more to see on this old farm.

After a nap, that is. We explorers need our rest.

Have a nice day, and remember--keep your whiskers clean.

Red, White and Blue

Happy July 4th weekend!

Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White and Blue~George M. Cohan

Patriotism is easy to understand in America - it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country. ~Calvin Coolidge

We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution. ~John F. Kennedy

The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation.~Woodrow Wilson

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.~Elmer Davis

God Bless America

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free.
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:
God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.~Irving Berlin

Good Thoughts, Please

I hope you don't mind, but I'm not going to offer an explanation. I just ask that if you've got a minute today, please send a good thought or quick prayer our way. We would sincerely appreciate it.

I hope you have a lovely Wednesday! Sending good thoughts your way!